A Evening Treat to travel for…* #Blog
Briony Wilson
23rd May 2019
We decided it was about time to visit one of our newest members; The Lost and Found in Knutsford, this is a wonderful and quirky place, that is certainly worth a visit. Based in the former Town Hall, the building itself is beautiful and the restoration and attention to detail that has gone into the place is truly fabulous. There are a few ‘Lost and Founds’ across the country all with a different Professors, in Knutsford the Professor is Emily B. Kingsley a true socialite who had keen interest in butterflies, a lovely addition to the décor across the building. An additional special touch is the cocktail menu is split in to the 7 different professors offering different taste and flavour profiles with each.
To start off our visit we asked for a tour of the venue with one of the amazing team. The building is broken down in to 4 different rooms, 2 of which are on the “hush hush”, but ideal private event spaces. Most people that visit the restaurant would not be aware and despite this not being my first visit I was surprised as to the location of the hidden rooms, I had never noticed them before (I promise the delicious cocktail menu has nothing to do with that!)
The Boardroom, just up some little steps is large enough to accommodate dining for 16 but would equally be ideal for a meeting. Utilising a unique hidden entrance, there is an adjoining space to the Boardroom with a secret bar, this combined with the boardroom and your very own bartender is the perfect space for a private party. Our host mentioned that for a recent 21st birthday party, they had created a signature cocktail and showed us the beautifully personalised menu they had made just for her and her guests. A wonderful detail, in a venue full of thoughtful and special details.
There is a large area downstairs for drinks, with plenty of seating and equally a lovely area outside for the same, I must admit for a sunny Tuesday evening this had a lovely buzzing atmosphere that if I was a local it would be far too tempting. Upstairs, is the preferred dining area, split into different levels. This area would be ideal for private hire for a huge range of events; even weddings or just larger parties. The venue is versatile to layout as you wish without being a boring white box venue. This area again has a lovely bar and you can look into traditional stone baked pizza oven. One of my personal favourite elements of the place is the glass wine cellar, displaying all the beautiful wine options but in the quirky way that really creates a topic of conversation.
After our tour we were guided to our table, by one of the large windows in the raised area and given the choice of a few different menus. As you know at Taste Cheshire we love a good deal so opted for the evening treats menu, a smaller menu of 4 options per course, at a great price of 2 courses for £16.50 or 3 courses for £20.00 ( some choices do have a supplement), available from 5pm, Monday-Thursday. Unfortunately, I was driving, but you can’t visit a place that describes itself as a cocktail bar without giving them a try, so on advice from one of the brilliant service team, Tori opted for the Nassau Punch. This cocktail was truly stunning and as with everything they just go that extra step, decorating it with Wray Nephew infused banana chips and dehydrated dragon fruit.
After the vital decision had been made, we moved on to our food choices, I opted for the Crispy Duck Salad; probably one of the best starters I’ve had in some time, great flavoured duck served with fresh crunchy shredded vegetables and a sweet but salty hoisin dressing. This made for a well-balanced dish and large enough that you would be amply satisfied with 2 courses. Tori opted for the Tomato Bruschetta, this was on a grilled sourdough which really kept its crunch with tomato fondue and chunky heirloom tomatoes mixed with onion and rocket, again a filling portion but refreshing and a wonderful way to start.
Following this our mains arrive quickly, this time I went for the Roast Chicken breast, again wonderfully cooked with the skin on for beautiful flavour, served with crispy prosciutto, torn buffalo mozzarella, fondant potato and a tomato and basil sauce. All elements went really well together and for me the sauce was the winning element. Tori stuck with the veggie theme and went for the Ricotta and spinach ravioli, served with semi-dried tomatoes, crème fraiche and confit garlic and finished with torn buffalo mozzarella. Again, the sauce was the winning element but the pasta well coated and a flavourful filled made for a delicious dish.
We could have stopped there but decided to treat ourselves to pudding as well. For me I can take it or leave it with desserts however, on this menu I would happily enjoy any of the dessert options. Rightly or wrongly, I always like to test the sticky toffee pudding if it is on the menu, just to see if I can ever find one that beats my mum’s, this is probably the closest I found; really moist sponge, plenty of sauce and served with a brilliant vanilla ice cream. Tori went for the Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Parfait, something a little different but looked great on the plate served with a caramelised banana and caramel sauce. Very rich but equally delicious and we worth giving a try.
In all, this was a wonderful meal enjoyed by us both, and for the price could become a regular visit. I have to comment on the service every person on the team that we spoke with was lovely, bubbly and had a big smile on their face. They clearly enjoy working here and it showed in their recommendations and for the service alone it is worth a visit.
If the Devil is in the details, this place is Devilishly good.
* Today’s lovely experience was gifted by the amazing team at The Lost and Found, Knutsford and we stand by all comments in the article, don’t believe us? Go give it a try for yourself, you wont regret it.
The Lost and Found Knutsford
Old Town Hall,, Princess Street, Knutsford, WA16 6BY
Discover and you shall find a bountiful selection of seasonal food, as well as signature tipples to satisfy all your drinking and dinning needs.
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